details from vanitas still life, edwaert collier (1662)
vanitas comes from the latin word for vanity. a vanitas still life painting contains collections of objects symbolic of the inevitability of death and shows the vanity of earthly achievements and pleasures. still life paintings flourished in the netherlands in the early 17th century, with the likes of david bailly (vanitas still life, self portrait, 1651), jan davidsz de heem (vanitas still life: skull and rose, 1630) and pieter potter (vanitas still life, skull and songbook, 1646)
edwaert collier (c.1640-c.1702) was a dutch golden age still life painter, most famously known for vanitas still life and trompe-l'œil paintings. trompe-l'œil paintings are paintings that use realistic imagery to create optical illusions that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions. trompe-l'œil derives from a french phrase: to deceive the eye.
